Fly fishing is a form of sport fishing and may also be considered an art. Other forms of fishing include bait or spin casting. In bait or spin casting, the lure is thrown and the line goes along with the lure, whereas in fly casting, the line is thrown and the lure goes along with the line.
A fly cast is made by executing the rod to move the entire length of line backwards and forwards to be cast in the air in a forward direction using the rod to deliver the line and a fly at the terminal portion thereof to the water. In typical fly casting, the casts may be between twenty and sixty feet in length.
It is more difficult to learn to cast a fly line than to use a spinning reel and rod. The skills applicable to spin casting do not apply to fly casting and may also be counterproductive to learning the art. The proper cast of a fly rod may also be counterintuitive, leading many to pursue other types of fishing instead.
A fly rod is typically longer than a bait or spin casting rod. To an extent, the weight and speed of the line is used to throw the line, but it is the loading and unloading of the rod that is used to impart speed and a wave motion to the line. The speed and wave motion increase the efficiency of the fly cast to a substantial distance with accuracy.
In fly casting, a basic motion is to cast the line back and forth in a straight line accelerating to a stop. An additional amount of line may be added while casting back and forth, until a suitable length is achieved. When a suitable amount of line is in motion, the cast is complete by allowing the line to fall to the water surface. The motion described above is one that must be mastered, although it is counterintuitive. The caster must learn the appropriate motions of the body and the rod so the tip of the rod moves through a very small arc at the appropriate time. By using the appropriate motions, speed, and power, the line goes backward and forward in a “tight loop” configuration. Making a movement in an inappropriate direction or decelerating to a stop at the inappropriate time results in an ineffective cast.
Although fly fishing is considerably more difficult than conventional casting, casting properly with a spinning rod and reel and other fishing rods also poses difficulties to any caster.
There remains a need for a device and method to assist the caster in casting fishing rods, including spinning and fly fishing rods.